Quantitative measurements of active and passive mechanical properties of adult cardiac myocytes

Cytoskeletal displacement, mechanical coupling between the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix, as well as nuclear mechanics can be independently quantified using novel methods based on high-resolution tracking of cellular structures and receptor bound magnetic beads in response to applied forces. These techniques can be applied to study the interaction between known protein function and specific changes in cellular mechanical properties and their role in cardiac hypertrophy.